Composite Submersible Patterned Indexing Datum for Radar & Sonar (C-SPIDRS)

Dynovas is proposing a Phase II Base & Phase II Option SBIR program under NAVAIR-NAWCAD to mature the C-SPIDRS passive sonobuoy array system from the Phase I-achieved TRL3/MRL3 to TRL7/MRL6 through detailed design of critical path hardware and subsystems, prototype manufacturing, and environmental/physical testing tasks. DynovasÆ Submersible Patterned Indexing Datum for Radar and Sonar (C-SPIDRS aka Sea-SPIDRS) system has been developed for the Naval Air Warfare Center ¢ Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) and the Air Anti-Submarine Warfare Systems Program Office (PMA-264) as a mission-tailorable, high-gain, and omnidirectional passive sonobuoy array for Antisubmarine Warfare (ASW) operations. Instead of pursuing incremental paths for increasing efficiencies of discrete element foldable structures, C-SPIDRS was developed to specifically provide the Warfighter a radical new class of self-deploying sonobuoy structures that package within current A-size canisters (18ö long x 4.75ö diameter weighing under 20lb.), deploy large aperture (3m+) 3-dimensional shell distributed geodesic arrays, and support integration of > 100 acoustic elements. This unique multidimensional sonobuoy array system is enabled by a novel material and structural solution that leverages composite and metallic tape springs to deploy cylindrically packaged units into a 3-dimensional array optimized for performance across 100Hz ¢ 1000Hz. Individual tape spring boom elements are connected via self-locking pivot joints to form a SS0-stable (sea-state zero) structural framework that expands to support a network of packaging and performance selected hydrophone elements, with element frequency responses supporting the targeted array operational frequency range up to 1kHz. C-SPIDRSÆ geometric framework is manufactured and oriented to optimize acoustic and structural performance via aligning beam components with the array systemsÆ main-axis to reduce vertical drag. Furthermore, the geodesic-truss-like framework supports the decoupling the discrete elements by suspending them in between structural booms. In the packaged configuration, tape spring elements are constrained to a stowed ōcoiledö configuration held by water soluble/mechanical restraints. Once the target depth is met during deployment, the C-SPIDRS array is passively removed from the A-size sonobuoy launch canister (SLC), allowing the tape spring framework to self-expand too rigid linear beams and subsequently ōinflateö the grided network of hydrophones supported by their respective cables. The geometric arrangement of hydrophones is tuned through adjusting array geometry, number of elements, spacing, and supports mission-specific operation across 100Hz to 1000Hz NAWCAD targeted frequency bands displaying directivity indices from 15.1 to 20.3dBi. Thus, C-SPIDRS provides the Warfighter an augmenting ASW detection capability through a novel solution that does not compete with existing operational bands of ADAR, DIFAR, and DICASS arrays.